When the Honeymoon's Over
by lilkorea
Summary: [Sequel to: Renji's Love Interest] When Renji pops the question, everyone is excited. And when the wedding's over, they go on their honeymoon, but what follows after the honeymoon's over? Diaper bags, of course.


When the Honeymoon's Over

Tables were covered with cream colored cloths, and lilies for centerpieces were scattered around the hall. Each with six sets of plates and dining accessories, and six guests to each table, all close friends and family members.

Almost all of Renji's guests were Shinigami in their gigais, while all of Reira's guests were humans.

It was the reception after the wedding, and everyone was enjoying themselves. Ikkaku and Yumichika were singing a duet at the karaoke, both drunk out of their minds. Matsumoto was still crying and blowing her nose into her fourth box of tissues (claiming that weddings always makes her cry) while Hinamori tried to calm the busty woman down.

Hitsugaya was losing terribly at a game of cards with Ichigo, Chad, Ukitake, and Kyouraki. While the Shinigami women were all sitting together, chatting up a storm and drinking martinis.

Zaraki and Yoruichi were in the middle of a drinking game as Yachiru, Urahara, Izuru and Hisagi watched. Yoruichi was in the lead by two shots.

Renji was standing with his captain, Byakuya, and Reira's father and grandfather (who weren't pleased at first to learn that their darling Reira was marrying a man with no 'pedigree', but were able to adjust and accept Renji).

The last year and a half was really tough on Renji, after he had proposed to Reira, he was immediately put under strain by her father, who took it upon himself to make sure that his daughter received the best of _everything._ No sooner had Renji proposed had Reira's father given him a job in his office building, saying that no daughter of his was going to marry a freeloader.

Renji had never 'pushed' papers, or faxed messages, or used a computer, made coffee, used a stapler, wear a pin-up suit, or even tied a tie.

It was so overwhelming for the red-haired Shinigami.

But he pulled through.

Somehow.

And it was all worth it to get his father-in-law's blessing.

Of course, there was also Reira's grandfather, who was a very strict man, and had a strong belief in keeping up the old traditions. He lives in an old fashioned Japanese house, and wore traditional male clothing. It wasn't very hard for Renji to get the old man's blessing, since the environment was much more familiar for him.

No one was as easy to please as Reira's mother, who, after meeting Renji, was more than pleased, and kept asking when they'll be giving her grandchildren. It was an embarrassing topic to discuss about, since Reira's mother would always fantasize about what their children would look like.

When Renji announced to his friends that he and Reira were engaged, it was difficult to keep a straight face. After all, he was going to marry the woman he loves. It took a moment or two for the ice to break when Matsumoto jumped up, clapping her hands and asking for an invitation to the wedding.

This of course, resulted into a chain reaction, leaving Renji with no choice but to invite everyone in the thirteen squad to come. The first to receive the invitations was of course Ichigo and Rukia, and then so on.

Unlike Renji's guests, Reira's guests were mostly family and few celebrity friends (a.k.a., famous musicians), who played their own written pieces of music for the bride and groom during the reception. It made everything seem so "high-class", and showed the total opposite of both Renji and Reira's worlds.

After their first anniversary as a couple, it was no longer a secret that Renji was a Shinigami. Before he had proposed, he confessed who he really was and was scared that Reira would ultimately reject him. And of course, she thought it was all a joke at first, but when she saw him in his Shinigami form, everything had fallen apart.

It took Renji a week before Reira would speak to him, and it wasn't until he had saved her one evening from a hollow did the distance shrink and they were together again.

From then on, no secrets came between them.

Well, maybe a few.

And some things are best kept unsaid.

"Oh, I'll never be a bride again," Reira whined as she and Renji sat at their table with Rukia, Ichigo and Byakuya. "Now I'm just somebody's _wife_."

Rukia's and Ichigo's eyebrows rose while Byakuya remained impassive as always.

"And I'm the happiest man in the world." Renji said with a grin.

Urahara leaned back on his hands inside his little house, seated around his little table with Tessai, Ururu and Jinta, having their afternoon tea together.

"It's been rather quiet around here without our freeloader hanging around no more." Urahara said, "It was nice of him to invite us to the wedding."

"Hai, and what a magnificent wedding it was." Tessai said with a twinkle in his eye, holding up a small book close to his chest. "And I was able to get the autographs of all my favorite musicians and opera singers. I can die happy."

Urahara gave a short, amused laugh before looking at Jinta who sat quietly, staring at his untouched tea. Instinctively, he knew what was on the boy's mind, and patted the red hair in a fatherly manner.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he won't forget about us." Urahara said.

"Now that Mr. Freeloader is married, he'll be having a family of his own, right?" Ururu asked.

"That's right, and that means I'll be an uncle!" Urahara said cheerfully, lightening the mood.

"Then that means we'll have to baby-proof the shop." Tessai said, "Oh, how joyful! To have little ones running around and bringing more color into our lives!"

"Tessai-san's been reading a lot of books about baby care." said Ururu, while Jinta gave a grumpy "hmph!"

SPLASH!

Renji coughed the salty water out of his mouth as he sat in the shallow end, the soft sand underneath him gave way to his weight. The sun was bright and hot, but the cool ocean evened the odds of the tropical paradise.

Renji looked up at his giggling wife, who stood over him with a playful smile.

"You're gonna pay for that one." he said, grinning as he stood up. Reira had skipped a few paces away and turned back to him.

"You have to catch me first, tough guy!" she teased, giving a shrill giggle as she dodged when Renji lunged at her and began running down the beach with Renji chasing after her. Both laughing under the sun.

It's a little too bad that Renji didn't know about sun block.

"ITAIIII!" Renji howled as he touched his sunburned skin. He was sitting on the bed in the honeymoon suite, bearing the stinging, burning pain all over his body.

"I told you to put on sun screen before we went to the beach." Reira said as she came out of the bathroom with a bottle of aloe and crawled unto the bed to sit behind her "suffering" lobster of a husband.

"Like I'd know this would happen." Renji huffed, forgetting about his sunburn and crossed his arms, resulting in another howl of pain.

"Well, maybe next time you'll listen to your beautiful wife more closely." Reira said, as she applied the soothing aloe to her husband's raw skin. "Here," Reira handed the aloe bottle to Renji over his shoulder. "Apply some of this onto your front while finish your back."

"I was hoping for a more romantic honeymoon." Renji mumbled, squeezing the clear gel out onto his hand and began rubbing it onto his chest.

"There'll be plenty of time for romance later."

"Yeah, well, I was hoping for it to be a little sooner. This 'sunburn' is just a little setback." Renji looked down at his red arm and glaring at it as he silently cursed the sun.

"Don't be in such a hurry," Reira said, smacking Renji's raw back, releasing a strangled howl of pain. "If you had listened to me earlier, we'd be doing something all newly weds do on their honeymoon."

"Geez, Rei-chan, you didn't have to slap my burn." Renji said, looking over his shoulder at his wife. Reira smiled cutely at him as she leaned forward and gave Renji a light kiss on his nose.

"Y'know, you're almost as red as your hair." she teased.

"That's just mean. First you slap me, then you kiss me, and now you're making fun of me." Renji said, "Some loving wife you are."

"Quit your whining."

(Three months later)

Renji was on his break from patrol in Seireitei, feeling that he couldn't just abandon his original line of work. And though he was married, he was still a Shinigami, but he proudly wore his wedding band on his left ring finger.

Nothing between him and his relationships with his Shinigami comrades has changed since his marriage, well…maybe a little. Now that—

"Hey, Renji, heard from Matsumoto-san that you and the little wify are gonna have a kid!" said Ikkaku, slapping Renji's back.

Instantly Renji's cheeks were slightly flushed that everyone nearby had heard and were now looking at the red haired vice-captain of the sixth unit.

"Y-yeah…so, what of it? I _am_ married now. It's to be expected." Renji said, a little defensively.

"Just wanted to congratulate ya, is that a problem?" Ikkaku said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Uh—no, thank you." Renji said awkwardly, as his cheeks only burned hotter when everyone began to congratulate him.

"Now that a baby is on the way, you'll most likely want to be close to Reira-san." said Yumichika, "Kuchiki-taichou will probably give you leave to be with her during this time."

"You seem to know an awful lot, Yumichika, what are you hiding?" Ikkaku asked, looking at his friend with suspicion.

"Don't be ridiculous, it's only natural for a father-to-be to be where he's needed most." said Yumichika with a huff.

"Vice-captain Abarai," said a low-ranked Shinigami, bowing to Renji. "Kuchiki-taichou wishes to speak with you."

"What for?" Renji asked.

"I'm not sure, sir."

Renji pondered for a moment before taking his leave. As Renji navigated through headquarters, he passed many others who smiled and gave their congrats to him and Reira. It was a little embarrassing for everyone to know that he and Reira were going to parents, but after awhile, he got used to it.

"Renji-kun!" Matsumoto called, as she and Hitsugaya came walking down the walkway towards him. "Rukia-chan told me all about Reira-chan being pregnant. You must be so excited!"

"Matsumoto, that's enough." Hitsugaya said, though he gave Renji a nod of his congrats to him, before heading further down the hall.

"Anyways, I'll be visiting the real world again soon, so I think I'll buy Reira-chan a gift for the baby. It's so exciting!" Matsumoto said, as she went prancing down the hall after her captain.

"Everyone seems to be more excited about the baby than I am." Renji muttered, before continuing towards his unit's office.

Entering the well organized room where Kuchiki Byakuya was, sitting behind his desk, sorting papers, Renji slide the door shut and approached his captain. He stopped before the oak desk and bowed to the man sitting behind it.

"You wanted to speak with me, taichou?" Renji asked in a business-like tone.

"I'm going to reassign you to be the Shinigami representative of Earth." Byakuya said. Renji looked slightly confused, and it didn't go unnoticed by the sixth unit captain. "I heard that you and your wife are expecting your first child. It'll serve as a good catalyst for you to remain with your family there, while you to monitor the hollow activity more closely at the same time."

"Hai, taichou. And, thank you." Renji said, bowing again.

"I give you best wishes for a healthy child." Byakuya said. Renji thanked his captain once more before taking his leave to prepare for his return to the human world.

"Welcome to the Urahara Shop!" Urahara greeted, looking up from his accounting to see his costumer, only to pause for a moment before a joyful grin formed on his face. "Oh, Reira-chan, welcome! How may I help you?"

"Konichiwa, Urahara-san." Reira greeted gently, "I was told that you sell—" Reira was cut off by Tessai who had suddenly thrown the shoji screen door back to greet Reira with great passion like he usually does.

"Reira-san, what a pleasant surprise to see you!" he said, "It's so kind of you to visit us in you condition! Come in, come in, make yourself comfortable. A pregnant woman shouldn't be walking around too much, you'll tire yourself out!"

Tessai literally picked Reira up bridal-style and carried her into the sitting room where he set her down and instantly had tea set and ready to serve.

"So how goes the whole mommy-preparations?" Urahara asked as he casually walked into the room and sat down at the other end of the table, across from Reira.

"Not so well, I'm afraid." Reira said with a smile, "I came here because Rukia-san said that I might be able to buy some morning sickness pills."

"Morning sickness pills, you say?" Tessai repeated while putting a plate of homemade tea cookies on the table.

"Oh, of course!" Urahara said with a wide smile, "I almost forgot that you are having a Shinigami baby. Your pregnancy symptoms are worse since you're human and all. I understand! I'll bring you a package of those pills from the shop."

Urahara got up and left through the sliding door just as Jinta and Ururu came into the room.

"Urahara-san looks happy." Ururu said.

"Who wouldn't be happy? Our freeloader has been made into a real man by the lovely music prodigy, who calmed his inner beast by playing her beautiful melodies!" Tessai said dramatically.

"Tessai-san has been reading those romance novels again." Ururu said.

Renji walked into his house late at night, just after coming back from Seireitei after being reassigned to Earth as the Shinigami representative. He was more than happy to take on the job, meaning he could be with Reira while she is pregnant.

He wasn't surprised that any of the lights were on, considering what time it was. Removing his shoes, Renji walked through the den, and into the kitchen to get something to eat. Turning on the lights, he noticed his dinner sitting on the kitchen counter, wrapped up and waiting for him.

With a smile, he ate the dinner his wife caringly left out for him.

After he finished eating and set the empty plates in the sink, Renji went upstairs to his bedroom. Quietly he opened the door, knowing that Reira was already asleep. And having been warned by Matsumoto and Rukia to never wake up a pregnant woman, he became even more cautious.

Closing the door silently, Renji went to the closet and changed out of his clothes and into a pair of sweat pants before sliding under the sheets with his wife. As he made himself comfortable, he scooted closer to Reira, spooning her body with his and breathing in the gentle scent of her hair before closing his eyes to sleep.

"Reira, is it really necessary to buy all of this?" Renji asked, carrying boxes and bags of baby supplies through a department store, following his wife towards the exit. "It seems a little much for just one baby."

"Of course it's necessary," Reira said, "Babies are a full-time job, and buying a lot of supplies for it's care is important."

"But there's still six months left until the baby is born. There's really no need to be rushing everything." Renji mumbled.

"What was that?" Reira asked dryly, looking over her shoulder at her husband. Renji stiffened.

"N-nothing, dear." he said, and left it at that. He didn't want to make her upset, seeing as how Reira was rather touchy with getting everything ready before the baby arrived. He still didn't understand the mind of a woman when it came to motherhood; in fact, he hardly understood the women race in general. They were always so moody.

CRASH!

SPLASH!

"ACK!" Ichigo blanched as he shook the paint off his head.

"I told you to move!" Renji said from atop the ladder, looking down at an aqua colored Ichigo.

"No you didn't!" Ichigo snapped.

"Did too!" Renji snapped back.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Enough!" Rukia and Hitsugaya shouted from the other side of the room, shutting the two up. Ikkaku and Yumichika just gave each other a look before returning to painting their side of the four-walled room that would soon become the baby's room.

Reira, earlier in the week, had been making plans with her mother about having the room for the baby to be ready. And asking her beloved husband to have his friends help, she said it would only make the job go by faster (plus, it was much cheaper, too, with less strangers staring at Reira because Renji hates it when other men ogle at his wife). And that's how Ichigo, Rukia, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Ikkaku, and Yumichika got dragged into this aqua-colored mess.

At the moment, Reira was in the kitchen, preparing lunch with Matsumoto helping her (actually, Matsumoto just wanted to avoid getting paint on her gigai. Plus, she'd get to feel Reira's stomach whenever the baby kicked!).

Hitsugaya and Rukia were almost finished with their wall, and so were Ikkaku and Yumichika. Renji and Ichigo were both far from being done as they only had less than a fourth of the wall finished.

Currently, Renji and Ichigo were having a power-struggle on whose head to use as the paint brush.

"Ichigo! Renji!" Rukia said, stopping the two by painfully yanking on their ears. "Shouldn't you two be working on finishing your side of the room? If Reira-san sees that you're not done, I'd hate to see what she'll do to the both of you."

Renji immediately grabbed the paint roller and began to finish the paint-job. He _did not_ want a repeat of last week when he and Reira went shopping for more maternity clothes and she ended up crying and complaining that she was fat.

In ten minutes flat, Renji had finished painting and was exhausted.

"Wow…that's some weapon, using Reira-san as a motivation for him." Ichigo said in amazement.

"When you're a woman, you know how to get things done." Rukia said proudly.

Matsumoto walked into the room with a bright smile announcing that lunch was ready and that the baby kicked twice while Reira was stirring the miso soup.

Lunch was as delicious as always, though the tossed salad that Matsumoto made was questionable since the main ingredient wasn't lettuce, and the dressing was money mixed with something that tasted strangely like natto beans.

Reira sat next to Renji, who sat next to Ichigo, who were both covered with paint were still arguing about the paint incident. Hitsugaya, who sat at the head of the table, rolled his eyes at the two bickering men while only half-listening to Rukia, Matsumoto and Reira talk about who-knows-what. Ikkaku was already filling his plate with seconds while Yumichika was still delicately finishing off his first plate.

This was a strange bunch, but the atmosphere was light and the food was hot while outside the weather grew cold as winter approached.

By the end of the week, after the room was aired out and a second layer of paint was put on, the furniture was put together and set in place. Everything was perfect now. And Renji could relax a bit.

Sort of.

Hospitals.

Not one of Renji's favorite places to visit, even if he's only there with Reira for their annual check-up on the baby's condition. The doctor was slightly behind schedule, so Renji and Reira were to wait in the exam room.

It was rather chilly in the room, even Renji had to admit it.

On one of the walls, was a collage of baby photos, and Renji found himself staring at them all, just to pass the time.

"Which baby do you think is the ugliest?" he heard Reira ask, making him whip around to stare shocked at his wife.

"Reira, that's not something you should be asking!" he said, though Reira was staring at the wall, and couldn't help but look back at the collage.

"The one on the far left?" he heard her say.

"Yeah, why is it staring at me?"

The door opened as the doctor came in, looking out of breath as he fumbled a bit coming inside and closing the door.

"Sorry for being late, there was an unexpected meeting today." he said, catching his breath and straightening himself out before proceeding by looking at Reira's charts. "Well, last month when you came in, you and the baby were doing well, let's check if it's the same this time."

Renji stood at the back door, staring out into the ocean (Note: their house has an ocean view). The trees in their backyard were stripped of their once beautiful green leaves as they all now lay on the cold ground, coloring the yard with reds, oranges, and yellows.

"Renji, you shouldn't be standing at the door for too long, you'll catch a cold." Reira said, coming up next to him with a hot mug of tea for him.

"Sorry," Renji said, looking down at his wife. Her curly hair was put into two tight braids that came to the nape of her neck which suited her well, though Renji preferred her hair to be loose and free so he could run his fingers through the silky tresses.

His eyes fell down to the swell of Reira's stomach and placed a hand on it. He could hardly believe that any day now, he'd be a father. Never had he been so thrilled and anxious and frightened at the same time. He's fought against Hollows, Bount, Arancars, and even fellow Shinigamis, but none could compare to the excitement he felt for fatherhood.

"Oh!" Reira gasped as a smile spread on her pink lips. Renji smiled too, having felt the baby kick. It was absolutely magical to him.

"I hope the baby comes soon." Renji said, as he drew his wife in to embrace her, while being mindful of the mug of hot tea in his hand.

"Sooner than you think." Reira said.

"Heh. Why's that?" Renji said with a smile.

"I think the baby's coming…now!"

And for a moment, Renji began to panic, not knowing what to do first as he shuffled back and forth. And during Renji's state of panic, Reira calmly and carefully headed towards the door.

"WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!" Renji screamed as he rushed into the hospital lobby with Reira in his arms, looking embarrassed at the scene her husband was making. "MY WIFE IS HAVING OUR BABY! SOMEBODY HURRY UP AND HELP HER!"

"Renji…" Reira began as Renji quickly set Reira on a chair before hurrying up to the nurse behind the registration desk. Reira just rolled her eyes just as a nurse came up to her with a wheelchair.

"Sir, you'll have to fill out these forms while waiting for someone to come and help you." said the nurse behind the desk, not listening to a word Renji was yelling out as she was busy with her own "busy" task of talking on the phone.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, WOMAN?! MY WIFE IS IN LABOR!" Renji yelled.

"Sir, please fill out the forms and a nurse will be right with you." said the nurse in a bland tone before returning to her previous task, "So I said to Mai, girl, you better go and…"

Renji huffed as he turned around to return to his wife's side, only to find that she wasn't where he had left her, which brought up a new wave of panic over the first.

What kind of hospital was this?! Pregnant women don't just disappear!

_I'm gonna grow old before my time._ Renji sadly thought.

"Awww you're just the cutest widdle thing I've ever seen! Next to Taichou!" said Matsumoto, as she rubbed her cheeks against the soft skin of the newly born baby. "And just look at that curly red hair!"

"Kawaii!" Rukia and Hanamori said together as they all took turns holding the baby.

"Half human, half Shinigami. A rare mix, yet makes me wonder whether or not the kid will be able to turn into his Shinigami form." said Hitsugaya from where he sat on the couch in the living room, fully dressed in light winter clothing in his gigai.

"Hey, that just made me wonder," Ichigo began, "When you go back to Seireitei to report in, are you ever gonna take your son with you?"

"I'd like to, if only once, but I'm not sure if Reira will allow it." Renji said, watching as Matsumoto carefully handed his son back to Reira. "It'd be nice if I could take him with me, let him see a bit of his other half."

"I'm sure she'll allow it, I mean, Reira-san is a very understanding person." Ichigo said.

"That's true." Renji agreed.

"Well, since Reira-san already knows of Seireitei, _and_ by the fact that you both have a child now, it'd only be a matter of time as his reiatsu develops he'd _want_ to know more about Seireitei." said Hitsugaya.

"Maybe," Renji sighed as he stared at his wife lovingly holding their son, "But for now I'll just wait and see."

"By the way," Hitsugaya began, "I was told by Yamamoto-sama to send you a message." Renji looks at the young captain with full attention. "He says he sends you his blessing for a healthy baby, and hopes that you will bring him with you the next time you visit Seireitei. He wishes to meet your son and give a _proper_ blessing."

"What does he mean by 'proper blessing'?" Ichigo asked.

"It means that Yamamoto-sama has acknowledged the baby and will give him a proper initiation as the son of a Shinigami." Rukia said, surprising Ichigo when she appeared at his side almost instantly. "It's a very high honor; normally infants of great families like the Kuuchiki clan are given such blessings. My brother was given a blessing when he was born."

"Wow, I had no idea." Ichigo said, not knowing what else to say.

"But then…that means both Reira and I have to be present…" Renji said, slightly shaken by the thought of bringing his delicate wife to Seireitei, where she'd most likely get attention from unwanted men. Especially from the flirtatious captain of the 8th squad Kyouraki Shunsui.

"Reira-san will be allowed into Seireitei legally for the blessing ceremony, so there's really nothing to worry about, Renji." Rukia said.

"I know that, but that's not what I'm worried about." Renji mumbled.

"Have you guys picked a name yet for your kid?" Ichigo asked.

"No, not yet." Renji said.

"Renji, this place is so amazing!" Reira said, as she followed Renji through Seireitei, enraptured by the spectacular Soul Society. It was like something out of a fantasy to her as she looked around at every possible angle.

Renji stared fondly at Reira as she looked around with bright eyes like a curious little kitten while holding their son, bundled up in a soft blue blanket.

"Renji," Rukia said, getting the red head's attention. "Ichigo and I will be going on ahead." Renji nodded and returned to watching his wife and son, and wondered vaguely about a good name.

"Reira," he called softly, "Let's get going."

"Hai!" Reira said with a smile. "Renji, we haven't settled on a name yet."

"I was just thinking about that, maybe we'll decide on one by the end of the day." Renji said.

Reira slid her hand into his while holding their son in one arm, smiling up at her husband. "I know we will."

Renji slid open a door and allowed Reira and his son to enter first before closing the door behind them. They stood within the office of the sixth unit where Kuuchiki Byakuya sat behind his desk as usual, going over documents that was in need of his seal of approval.

"Taichou, it's good to see you are well." Renji said, bowing to his captain in respect. Reira bowed as well. "I'm sure you've heard about Yamamoto-sama giving our son a blessing. I only came to ask if you are coming to witness it."

Byakuya stood up from his seat and walked around to the front of his desk and nodded his head in greeting to Reira.

"I will go to the ceremony, out of respect for you both." Byakuya said, looking at the infant in Reira's arms. "Have you named the child yet?"

Renji and Reira looked at each other and then back at Byakuya. "Actually, Kuuchiki-san, Renji and I were wondering if you'd do the honors of naming our son." Reira said.

That was something Byakuya was not expecting, especially since no one has ever asked such a thing from him. And to be asked to name someone's own child, that was an honorable task, and Kuuchiki Byakuya would not turn down such an honor. It'd be disgraceful if he did so.

But what name would best suit the son of his vice captain?

Extending a hand to the baby, he watched as the infant wrapped it's small hand around his index finger. The baby shared similar features to his father, such as the red hair, but resembled his mother in more ways.

Unfortunately, a name did not come to him right away.

"…And those here shall witness the blessing of this child, Abarai…Abarai…I didn't get his name." Yamamoto said, looking at the parents.

"Well, sir, you see, we haven't exactly—" Renji began sheepishly.

"—Ruo."

Everyone looked at Byakuya with curiosity.

"His name." Byakuya said, "Abarai Ruo."

"Abarai Ruo has the blessing of the heavens, may he bring honor to his kin." Yamamoto finished, placing his old hands on top of Ruo's head.

After the blessing was over, Renji approached his captain and bowed to him again, giving his thanks and gratitude. As did Reira, coming to stand beside her husband with little Ruo cooing in her arms.

"It was the least I could do." Byakuya said, looking down at Ruo who stared up at him with big, deep blue eyes. The very eyes Reira had as well.

"Would you like to hold him?" Reira asked. Byakuya pondered upon the idea of holding the child he named, but kindly declined, as his presence was needed elsewhere. "Ruo…what a strong name…" Reira said, watching the man who gave her son a name walk away.

"Reira, Yamamoto-sama wishes to speak with us." Renji said, as he directed his wife towards the captain of the 1st unit.

"Such a fine son," Yamamoto mused as he held Ruo in his arms and fondly watching as the baby reached out to grab his wiggling finger. "And what a strong grip he has."

Between Renji and Reira, Renji was extremely nervous to be standing before the Chief and Commander of the 13 squads. It was uncommon to see their leader acting like an ordinary old geezer, playing with a baby like it was normal. And the fact that Reira didn't mind that fact was only making him even more nervous. He could only hope that Yamamoto wasn't going to do anything more than to shower him and Reira with praise for a beautiful son.

"You're too kind, sir!" Reira said.

"Bah! It's true, human-born shinigami's are always the truly noticeable ones. Your son will be no different, I am sure of that." said Yamamoto, "I can already foresee that little Ruo will have the utmost attention here within Seireitei."

Renji could die of a heart attack. It was by mere luck that Yamamoto was a sucker for children, and his Ruo was the center of attention. And by the fact that Yamamoto seemed to accept Reira was even more astounding.

By the end of the day, Renji wouldn't be at all surprised if he saw strands of grey hair on his head.

"Seireitei was an amazing place, I can see why you are so strong." Reira said after putting Ruo to bed.

Renji was on their bed, lying on his side, glad to have that all done with. His heart just couldn't take anymore of fearing Yamamoto.

"If you do go back to Seireitei, you have my permission to take Ruo with you." Reira said, kissing Renji's temple.

"I don't know if my poor heart can take that much stress." he muttered as comical tears streamed down his face.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed, if you didn't like it, that's too bad. Please Review! 


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